Don't Blame the Headphones if Kids Aren't Listening, Study Says

Turns out, teens not listening has little to do with hearing loss from headphones. Credit: Getty

Karma is cruel.

Well, it ought to be, anyway. It would be more fun.

You know all those headphones, earpieces and other assorted gizmos teenagers stick in their ears? The ones we tell them will ruin their eardrums? Turns out, they won't affect their hearing at all.

Rats.

Time magazine reports some Harvard University researchers debunked what would have been a delicious bit of poetic justice by surveying some 4,300 headphone zombies ages 12 to 19 during two different time periods.

Researchers found no significant hearing loss between 2005 and 2006 -- echoing their findings from 1988 to 1994.

They questioned kids about their exposure to loud noise or music through headphones in the previous 24 hours. Only 17 percent of them said they experienced any difference in their hearing in the 2005-2006 period. That percentage was 16 percent in 1988-1994.

According to Time, the percentages remained low, even though teenagers reported greater exposure to loud noises (known in youth slang as "music").

Interestingly, boys are more likely to trash their hearing than girls.

Elisabeth Henderson of Harvard Medical School and the study's lead author, tells Time this is not because of biological differences between boys and girls. Instead, she says, boys are just exposed to louder noises while both working and playing.

She tells the magazine the greatest risk to young people's hearing is not from iPods but from real life.

"Noise levels at concerts and clubs can be very high -- high enough to exceed Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety thresholds and much higher than the normal listening levels of a personal MP3 player," Henderson tells Time.

"It's important for teens to realize that most musical artists and performers wear some form of hearing protection while on stage," she adds. "Hearing protection is cheap and readily available at most pharmacies."

However, most kids can hear just fine. But do they listen? That's another story.

AOL Answers is no longer available.

As AOL continues to grow and evolve we are taking necessary actions to ensure our efforts and resources are
focused on the areas where we can create the maximum amount of value for our loyal consumer base. As a result
we have decided to sunset AOL Answers. Thank you for your participation in this site. If you have an AOL-related
question (passwords, account information, etc.), please visit our AOL Help site at help.aol.com.

TheTalkies:RelatedVideos

Noise Cancelling Headphones Effect on ProductivitySue Shellenbarger on Lunch Break looks at headphones and your health: Many people find noise-canceling headphones improve their productivity. Others insist that listening to music with earbuds helps them focus. Does research back up either of these claims?

Yahoo's Aviate Gets Smart When Headphones Are InAviate, a startup acquired by Yahoo last month, has introduced a new feature for its Android-only app. The update, called Listening Space, is nifty: Plug your headphones into the phone, and the app surfaces contextual music information. Once the headphones are in, music-related apps like Spotify and Pandora come front and center, and the app even turns into a discovery tool, recommending other music apps from the Google Play store.

Top High-Tech HeadphonesHost AJ Vickery listens his way through some of the best high-tech headphones on the market, including the Jaybird Sportsband, Bowers and Wilkins P3, Ferrari Cavallino T350, and more!

ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)

The problem with this study is that they ASKED kids about their hearing and if they noted any difference - they did not test.their hearing. This is called subjective not objective results. How many people tell the truth when surveyed

No damage, huh? I just read an article from an expert on tinnitus that said the complete opposite...but, they specified listening to earphones or earbuds where others around you can hear the music being played.

I have heard hardly any BS like that. 40 years ago I was a professional disc jokey. To play the next song I had to listen to the begin of the track on the LP records with a headphone which was only used on one ear. In my case it was the right ear. Twentyfive years ago I head already a hearingloss of over 20% on the right ear, now it is over 55%. The left ear hearing is still normal. All and every specialist told me the hearingloss was coming from the loud sounds in my right ear.

I have had tinnitus for about 10 years now. I have been a medical transcriptionist all of my life wearing headphones when I work. the tinnitus is so bad I have to have noise to drown it out so I can sleep. It is constant and sometimes it changes to a shrill and hurts. There is no cure and no treatment. So, when it is said that headphones or earbuds don't cause hearing loss, just think about not ever having quiet.

My first job years ago was for long distance phone company. I wore my headset on my left ear. I was never a talker on the phone, I had had enough at work. Later my job was collections manager for Health Org. I used my left ear again. I now have tinnitus in my left ear. An ear specialist years ago told me my tinnitus was caused from diabetes which I had had only a year. The sound in my ears are like the droning of locust or jar flies. It's a wonder people aren't completey nuts from the constant noise. I would tell anyone NOT to use headphones.

Not everyone is affected the same. When the walkman became popular in the early 80s,I went everywhere with that player,then cd walkmans in the 90s,and now Ipod in the new century. I still go everywhere with my music,I am 47 and my hearing is fine. Oh and I am diabetic and have HBP so I dont buy a Doctor telling you that diabetes caused your hearing problems,I have never HEARD of such a thing. Seek a second opinion.

TheTalkies

AOL Answers is no longer available.

As AOL continues to grow and evolve we are taking necessary actions to ensure our efforts and resources are
focused on the areas where we can create the maximum amount of value for our loyal consumer base. As a result
we have decided to sunset AOL Answers. Thank you for your participation in this site. If you have an AOL-related
question (passwords, account information, etc.), please visit our AOL Help site at help.aol.com.